Increasingly, computing functionality need not be supported by hardware that is physically co-located with a user utilizing such a computing functionality, but rather can be supported by networked computing hardware aggregated into large data centers that are physically remote from the user. Often, the utilization of such computing functionality is referred to as “cloud computing” and can provide users with computing functionality that is typically supported by virtual machines hosted by large collections of computing hardware providing stability, redundancy, and high availability.
A modern data center represents a large financial investment, both in computing device hardware, and also in the hardware providing the relevant support systems for such computing devices. For example, data centers often comprise climate control hardware, redundant power systems, physical security, and other like support systems, in addition to the computing device hardware itself, which, can comprise thousands of computing devices, storage devices, networking devices, and other like computing device hardware. Often, computing device hardware is housed in physical support structures known as “racks”. While the individual computing device hardware housed in such racks can be installed locally, at the data center where such computing hardware will be powered up and utilized, often computing hardware is installed into racks remotely and shipped to a data center with the racks and the computing hardware housed therein already fully assembled and ready to be plugged in, powered on and utilized.
Because of the large quantities of computing device hardware housed in a typical data center, even small improvements in the reliability of such computing device hardware can mean thousands of fewer hardware failures, with attendant cost savings and service reliability improvements. Additionally, reducing the time between when fully assembled racks of computer equipment are received by a data center, and the time when such racks are connected to the electrical power and activated, can additionally result in substantial cost savings, including the monetary benefits of having such computing equipment being operational and supporting profit generating services more quickly. In some instances, the reliability of computing device hardware can be negatively impacted by moisture, which can corrode metallic surfaces, short circuit electrical pathways, and otherwise disrupt the proper functioning of computing equipment. To reduce the negative impact of moisture, assembled racks of computing equipment are often left unutilized for extended periods of time to provide for acclimation to the environment of the data center, since such racks of computing equipment are often shipped through, and spend significant time in, environments that differ substantially from the environment of the data center, including environments that may be more humid than the environment of the data center, environments that may be substantially colder than the environment of the data center, and other like environmental differences.